Henry a



(No Model.)

H. A; DAVIS.

UMBRELLA. No. 249,907. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. DAVIS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

UMBRELLA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,907, dated November 22, 1881.

Application filed September 3, 1581. (No model.) Patented in England May 7, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Y Be it known that I, HENRY ALBERT DAVIS, of London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Umbrellas, (for which I have obtained provisional protection in Great Britain,dated May 7,1881, No.1,991,)ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Myinvention relates to improvementsin umbrellas, and is applicable to all classes of these articles, including not only those commonly so called, but also those termed sunshadesand parasols.

The said invention is chiefly designed to provide more efficient means than those heretofore employed for securing the ends of the ribs to the stick, but is also designed to improve the appearance of the umbrella by rcducingits bulk at the part where the ordinary notch has heretofore been used.

The usual method of securing the ribs to the notch with fine wire has been found in practice to be very unsatisfactory, for the reason that the wire quickly rusts,and being thereby weakened and unable to bear the strain caused by the opening and closing of the umbrella, breaks, thus releasing the ribs and rendering the umbrella temporarily useless. Myinvention,however, provides for attaching the ribs in a very secure and simple manner, which avoids allot these difficulties, and which enables a rib to be easily and quickly removed, in the event of breakage, and replaced without displacing any of the others, and without removing the cover of silk or other material from the ribs. My invention, moreover, afi'ords great strength and durability, and at the same time gives a very neat appearance to the umbrella.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved rib-holder applied to the stick of an umbrella, and represents a portion of two of the ribs and the cover attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the said rib-holder and stick, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line w a, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical central section of amodified form of the said ribholder, hereinafter described. Figs. 5 and 6 represent the end portions of a rib adapted to be secured to my improved rib-holder.

Like letters indicate the same parts in each of these figures.

a isthe stick oftheutnbrella, b the rib-holder. c c are the ribs, and dis the silk or other covering material. The remaining parts are hereinafter described.

In carrying my invention into practice I employ, instead of the ordinary notch, the ribholder b, which is constructed of brass or other suitable metal of tubular form, and which need not be larger in diameter than the main portion of the body of the umbrella-stick to which it is to be united. This rib-holder is provided atits ends with holes or sockets b b to permils the connection with the same of the umbrella-stick, which is divided into two parts, a a as shown, each of which parts is securely fastened in one of the said sockets. The said ribholder has in its solid portion 12 between the said parts a c of the stick, a series of recesses or grooves, e, to receive the ends or end portions of the ribs 0, which are formed with knobs orheads, or are otherwise properly formed to titand work separately within the said slots, as in the case of ball-and-socket joints; or I may so form the ends of the ribs 0 as to permit a hole to be made therein sufficiently large to admit a piece of strong brass or other wire, which I pass through the said ends in the form of a ring, and which enters a recess, f, formed in each of the divisions or partitions b between the slots e in the aforesaid holder 1) or I in some cases fix in each rib end a short piece, 0, of brass or other wire adapted to enter the recesses f, so that each rib will be secured in position independently of the others, thus permitting it to be readily removed and replaced, when necessary, without the disconnection of the'other ribs.

The part b of the rib-holder immediately below the recesses e, in which a portion of the ribs 0, together with their heads or ends, are inserted, is made taper 0r sloping to permit the said ribs, when closed, to fit and lie within or below the circumference of the main or thick portion of the stick for a portion of their length, the ribs being suitably bent or curved for this purpose to coincide with the angle or shoulder thus formed at the end of the socket or ribholder.

A neat appearance of this part of Ice the umbrella is thus insured; or I may so ta per the stick and rib holder from the aforesaid rib ends or joints to the umbrella-handle as to dispense with the aforesaid angle or shoulder, and consequently obviate the necessity for curving or bending the ribs.

I prefer to employ in connection with my improved rib-holder ribs of the well-known Paragon construction, and for this purpose to form the grooves or recesses of the same shape as the end or end portions of the same, as shown in the drawings. In some cases, however, the said grooves or recesses m ay be formed narrow and of one width throughout, and the end portion of such ribs flattened or closed, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to fit within the said grooves or recesses.

Upon the aforesaid rib-holder b, I fit a short brass or other metal tube or ring, g, to retain the ends ofthe ribs 0 in place in the said holder. This tube or ring is slotted at g to permit the rib ends to work through the same in the opening and closing of the umbrella, and it is fastened to the rib-holder in its proper positionby screws or other means which will permit it to be readily disconnected from the said holder should it become necessary, in case of accident or otherwise, to remove or replace one or more of the said ribs. \Vhen the ribs are connected to the rib-holder in the ordinary manner, or by a ring, the aforesaid tube or ring g may be dispensed with. Each of the two parts a a of the stick is secured in the sockets b b of the rib-holder by rivets or otherwise, the said ribholder serving as a union or connecting-piece for the said parts. In some cases these parts or portions a a? of the stick maybe secured to the rib-holder by screws, so that these may be readily detached to reduce the length of the umbrella to facilitate the packing of the same in a portmanteau, or for other purposes.

To permit the silk or other covering material to be readily tied or fastened to the rib-holder I provide the latter with an annular groove, 1)", a short distance above the recesses f, in which the ends of the ribs work, as shown. The upper part of the said rib-holder is thus covered with the silk or other material, except the portion b which greatly improves the appearance and finish of the umbrella, and obviates the necessity of employing an open cap, as ordinarily used. Instead of forming the projections b to extend in the direction of the length of the ribholder, as shown in the drawings, the same may be reduced in length, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, so that the heads or ends only of the said ribs will be inclosed by the same when secured to the said rib-holder.

hat I claim is-- 1. The rib-holder I), provided with the sockets 1) N, for the reception of the two parts of the stick, the groove 11*, and the recesses 0, substantially as above set forth, and for the purposes specified.

2. The umbrella-stick formed in two parts, a a and attached to the rib-holder b in such a manner that the solid portion b of the lat ter, in which the recesses for the rib-joints are formed, is between the said parts of the stick, as above set forth.

3..lhe combination, with the rib-holder I), provided with the groove b and having the grooves or recesses 0, of the silk or other cover d, and the ribs 0 secured in the said grooves and bent substantially as herein descrihed, and for the purposes specified.

HENRY ALB EH1 DAVIS.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM GRoss, Lnwts SANDEnsoN. 

